Online Slots Odds Myths and Reality

Just like every other online casino game, slot have odds that are built into the game, and these are different for each type of slot, however they are of course, just like every other casino game, in favor of the casino, and to win playing slots you’ll need to beat the house edge. The house edge, or casino advantage on online slots is around the 5% mark, which is higher than most casino games with examples being that video poker can be as low as 2%, and blackjack played at optimal strategy is around 2.5%. So with that high house edge, why is is that online slots are still the most popular game played in almost all online casinos?

The fact is that slots provide more entertainment that many other casino games, and while there of course many fans of casino card and table games, they don’t serve up the fun, the features and the big jackpots that slots do, and when slots features are triggered and jackpots drop in, they can deliver extremely big wins, and that’s why players adore them so much. Although online slots have that high house edge, it is beatable, however here we want to put the record straight and bust myths that are associated with playing online slots. This is not advice on how to play slots, as we believe that every player just wants to go and have some fun, but here we’d rather talk about a few simple ‘rumors’ that are bandied about regarding online slots play.

Hot and Cold No - Statistically Independent Yes

There are so many players that believe online slots run hot and cold, and pay out more at times than at other times, and while it may appear that way, it’s simply not true. Every single spin of the reels is statistically independent of the last, in other words, it matter not one cent what the last spin of the reels was, as the random number generator will just throw out any old numbers, which are then represented as symbols in a given position. Sure those symbols look good and provide some animation and flashing lights, however they are positioned where they are on the reels down to good old fashioned mathematics. There is no payout cycle which some players believe in, you quite literally pick your slot and take your chances.

Another slots myth we wish to put to bed is that they can be programmed by the casino to pay more or less at any given time. This is simply not true, the casino does not need to do this as the overriding random number generator is initially programmed so that over a period of time the slot will beat the player. When put like that it may sound harsh, but it’s plain fact, all slots are simply pre programmed to payout what’s known as a Return to Player Ratio, and that could be anything from 93% to 98% depending on the slot, and the lower that number is, the higher is the slots house edge.

The basic facts are that it is almost impossible to give exact figures on slots return to player ratios, payout percentages and so forth, as those numbers are provided to the casino and to the player by the slots development company, who test the slots over a certain period of time. Let’s say a slot has been deemed to have a 95% return to player ratio, which means that for every $100 put into the slot it will return $95. That may be so, however you cannot expect to deposit $100 and get a guaranteed return of $95 due to the fact that an infinite number of spins cannot be tested. At the end of the day, slots play comes down, purely and simply to luck, and our only real advice is to have fun when playing, don’t bank on winning with every session you play and know that you are up against the house advantage.